


Renewal

by Secondprinces (CrimeBrulee)



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Chrobin - Freeform, M/M, Pining, Reincarnation AU, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-07-08 01:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimeBrulee/pseuds/Secondprinces
Summary: "Ours was a love born of desperation," Robin murmured, eyes falling shut.  He could hear Chrom's heart pounding.  There was a time when that same heartbeat had lulled him into a sense of security, when he'd fallen asleep beside him.  "And I will never regret a moment of it.  Perhaps in another life, we can be selfish.  But you and I both know that this is what needs to happen."Reincarnation AU where Robin has his memories but Chrom does not.  Slowburn, pining Chrobin multichap, following a life where Robin sacrificed himself to defeat Grima.CW:  Lots of anxiety on Robin's part.





	1. Flashbacks of another life

**Author's Note:**

> Posting as part of ChrobinWeek 2019, prompt Modern AU, even tho it's ultimately meant to be the start of a much longer story. Maybe!

"Promise me, Robin-- Promise me you won't--" Chrom's voice faltered.

Robin turned to leave. Chrom snatched his wrist and yanked him back into the tent. His stare bore into Robin.

"Robin--"

Robin cast his eyes down. He felt Chrom tighten his grip. There would be bruises the next day. 

"Robin--" Chrom's voice rang in his ears. The grip transferred to his shoulders, like he wanted to rattle him back to the present, but his hands went limp. Somehow heavier than before. "Robin, please, please just say something."

Each breath scraped Robin hollow. He chewed his lip. Screwed his eyes shut. Opened them again. Shook his head. 

Silence pressed in.

Chrom cupped his cheek with his hand. Tilted his face up--anything to get Robin to make eye contact. "You are not going into this next battle," Chrom finally said, voice finding an edge of support. "You're staying behind the front lines. And that's an order."

Robin bit back a laugh. Shook his head again. The words found themselves low in his throat. "Chrom, now is not the time to be selfish."

"Let me land the final blow," Chrom said. 

"Grima will just rise again in a thousand years--"

"--and our descendants will rise to the occasion just as we have--"

"You don't know that," Robin said. His voice dulled into something eerily calm. Finally, he made eye contact.

Chrom's breath caught in his throat.

"We have the tools to stop him for good," Robin said. "It’s like what Naga said. Only Grima can destroy Grima. I will land the final blow. I will fulfill my purpose, and you have no say in the matter. When you found me in that field, I promised to you that I would be useful until the end. I am fulfilling that promise."

"I don’t  _ care _ about useful-- Let me be selfish. Just let me be selfish--I love you." The grip tightened again. "Does that not count for anything--" Chrom crushed him into his chest.

"Ours was a love born of desperation," Robin murmured, eyes falling shut. He could hear Chrom's heart pounding. There was a time when that same heartbeat had lulled him into a sense of security, when he'd fallen asleep beside him. "And I will never regret a moment of it. Perhaps in another life, we can be selfish. But you and I both know that this is what needs to happen." His voice sank into a whisper. Tears seeped into Chrom's shirt. "I'm sorry."

\--

Robin jolted awake.

His laptop lay open on his bed, cycling through another youtube video. Blearily, he snapped it shut and sat up to stretch. The room was dark. The raucous screech of birds ate up any sense of calm in the early morning.

"Right," Robin muttered. Unshed tears burned his eyes. Sweat plastered his bangs to his forehead. He held his head in his hands, back rounded, feet on the floor, until he felt grounded again.

A knock startled him.

"Yes--?"

A deep voice answered. "Is everything alright?"

Robin nodded frantically, then realised the speaker couldn't see him. "Yes--I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

The door eased open. Frederick, large and imposing, dark hair disheveled around his head, stood with only his phone for light. "No, I was awake already. But I heard you shouting. More nightmares?" The circles under his eyes were as stark as Robin's. 

Robin nodded and patted the bed.

The mattress creaked as Frederick sank down beside him. He was already dressed for work.

Robin glanced him up and down. "You as well?"

Frederick nodded with a grunt. "The same as always, yes."

"Mine too," Robin said. He stared at the wall where he'd stacked piles of books that did not fit on his shelf. On similar nights when he could not sleep, he read until his body shut down for a few hours. He sighed. "I know they're memories, Frederick. We don't have to dance around the issue by calling them nightmares. They're....flashbacks. Of another life."

The furrow in Frederick's brow deepened. "Yes, the similarities of the world that supposedly existed in the past, and our knowledge of each other is too much to be coincidence..." He sighed again. "I'm not sure what can be done about it. It's obviously hindering us from living the life we are presently engaged in..." He trailed off to study Robin. 

Dark skin had been sapped of warmth, and white hair lay disheveled and greasy around dull eyes. He'd always been petite, but now he seemed impossibly fragile. 

"We need to find a better way to handle this," Frederick finally finished. "I worry about you."

"Hm," Robin said. He grabbed a pillow and held it in his lap. "I wonder if he's out there somewhere."

"Who?"

"Chrom." Robin raised his brows as if to say 'who else'. He dug the heel of his palm into one of his eyes. 

"We did find Gaius," Frederick commented. "So it's not impossible."

"Gaius doesn't seem to remember anything," Robin murmured. His lips pursed. "It's best if Chrom, if he's out there, is equally unburdened. You know what I mean?"

"Perhaps," Frederick said. He stood, and clapped Robin on the shoulder. "I'm going to head into work early today. I don't see any sense of laying awake for another few hours when I could put them to good use. I hope you'll make it to your classes today. Or at least attempt." He turned to leave, but glanced back. "And make sure you eat something for breakfast. I packed a lunch for you."

Robin hummed his acknowledgement, and waited until he heard the door to the apartment shut and the jingle of keys in the lock before grabbing his laptop again. The light from the screen seared into his vision, and he blinked until his eyes adjusted, already typing his way into the forums he frequented.

"Medieval Lore".

Nothing new. He typed familiar search terms: "Grima AND Chrom AND Ylisse". Only his posts came up--inquiries about any texts on legends from that general era. He'd followed a few leads, but they'd ended in dead ends. There wasn't much written history from that period, he'd concluded--and perhaps less so from what would be considered mythical.

Fatigue slammed into Robin. His face hit the pillow, and he sank into a haze as he browsed for the next hour.

\--

An adrenaline came with every battle Robin fought. Not just the ring of metal on metal or the scream of warriors battling, running, falling--but the natural patterns that Robin saw in the formations of the troops, even in the thick of the fight. He could not describe the rush he felt, back to back with Chrom, shouting orders, blasting enemies. Feeling trusted. Relied on. Useful.

This battle had a different atmosphere.

They'd approached Naga solemnly. There was no peptalk. No lustful screaming to pump themselves up. Even Chrom barely spoke.

They were teleported onto Grima's back, and without a word, engaged the enemy. The grunting and yelling rang out hollow into the static already buzzing in Robin's skull. He could not look Chrom in the eye. He shouted orders into the void. Barely noticed Chrom relaying them. The soldiers moved as if heavy puppets dangling from the strings of Robin's strategy. Cutting. Slashing. Getting cut down by Risen. 

There was an energy underfoot--in the slick scales that rose and fell with Grima's breath. It was the kind of cold that was only alive because it sapped the heat from around it. Robin took a deep breath.

"So this is who I become," he murmured to the beast. 

He looked up and locked eyes with himself.

Grima's lip quirked into a sneer. "Embrace it," he mouthed. 

The next shockwave sent Chrom's army to their knees.

A wave of nausea hit Robin, but he struggled against limbs that dropped like lead, climbing slowly to his feet. Black spots ate his vision. He rattled like he might fall apart.

"What is this--" Chrom shouted. He lay heaving on the ground, too weak to move. "Robin--no--stay down--" He reached out, fingers barely missing the hem of Robin's coat.

Grima took a step forward. He raised a hand to caress Robin's cheek, fingertips lingering there. Robin grit his teeth, clutching his tome tighter.

"End this foolishness, Robin," Grima said. He spoke as if sampling every word. "You see how feeble these human bonds are? How feeble they have made you? Join me, and become a god, and I might spare their lives. Embrace your true self. There is no escaping it."

Frederick grunted something--but the roar in Robin's ears swallowed his words.

A portal engulfed Robin.

The ache of battle and the weakness of his body vanished.

There was nothing. No heartache. No failing limbs. No sound. No fear.

Nothing.

"See? See how much better that is, Robin. Submit to your purpose. Submit to me."

Robin closed his eyes.

It truly would be easier...

\--

Robin's alarm penetrated the darkness. He yelped as his face hit the floor, and thrashed against the blankets tangled around his limbs. Sweat-drenched and gasping for breath, he seared hot and cold.

"Fuck--" he snarled. His fist slammed into the floor. "FUCK."

Body on fire and joints throbbing, he extricated himself, then wrapped himself into a ball until his breathing slowed.

"Fuck....fuck.....fuck...." he whispered, taking comfort in the scrape of his own voice.

Morning sun lit his curtains and seeped across his floor, sticky with humidity. 

Robin snatched his phone from under his bed and dialed.

Frederick picked up on the first ring. 

"Hello--Robin--? Is everything alright--" There was an edge of alarm to his voice. Poorly masked.

Robin fumbled through a few breaths. "Yes...just--I landed the final blow? Didn't I? Tell me that I destroyed Grima in that life. Please--" He stared at the floor, eyes wide. Anxiety seethed at his core.

"Do I need to come home?"

"--No. Just--just answer the question. Okay."

"I'm coming home--"

"NO. Answer the question Frederick. I'll--I'll be okay if you answer the question."

Frederick sighed. "Very well." He paused as if to collect his thoughts. His voice sank into something lower. Solemn. "Yes, you landed the final blow, at least in my recollection. You destroyed Grima."

The air left Robin at once. He felt almost weak with relief. "Okay. Yes. Good. I--I remember too. Okay, good..."

He closed his eyes a moment, still so tired that he felt he might get sucked back into his dream.

Yes. He remembered. He remembered the voices of his friends and loved ones cutting through that haze. He remembered clawing his way back out--back into the pain that pounded his body and limbs that would not move.

And he remembered shoving Chrom out of the way to land the final blow.

Death came so quickly in the force that rebounded. As effortless and abrupt as the flick of a switch.

"Robin?"

Robin nearly dropped his phone. "Yeah? Sorry. I was just--I was just collecting myself. Sorry for interrupting you at work. I'm --I'm okay. There's no need to come home."

He swiped his sleeve across his eyes.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes," Robin said. "I'm--I'm actually just going to get dressed and get ready to go out."

"Call me if you need anything."

Robin left his phone on the floor to wander to the bathroom. His face was a mess of snot and tears, but he took care to wash it thoroughly and pat it dry.

"Yes, I landed the final blow," he repeated to himself. He didn't have the energy to shower, but he dunked his head under the stream of water from the bath faucet and towelled it dry. "I did what I was supposed to do." 

He threw on the same hoodie he'd been wearing all week, and struggled into sweatpants that had been laying on the floor. He packed a bag with a notebook, his computer, and phone.

Then paused to stare at himself in the mirror a moment longer.

"If I did the right thing, why can't I find peace."

\--

Robin was headed somewhere--anywhere but his classes. He sulked past the university, grinding his teeth against a headache, and wandered toward a coffeeshop crammed between the school bookstore and one of the dining halls. 

As expected, it was crammed with meandering lines of undergrads. The back was pooled with others waiting for their name to be called. 

Robin sighed and slumped into a table to outwait the crowd, hands threading through his hair as he stared at his phone. 

"Robin?"

He glanced up. 

Gaius stood in front of his table, donning the apron with the cafe's logo and an empty tray atop one palm. The green visor clashed with orange hair and the smattering of freckles across his cheeks. 

"Ah..." Robin said. He blinked past the haze in his vision. "Good morning."

Gaius pulled up a chair, spun it around, and planted himself down backwards on it, facing Robin. He set the tray down. "I need an excuse to take a break anyway. Playing hookie again? Is that something you can do in law school?"

"We'll find out," Robin said. He thumbed through his phone. "I keep up with the readings at home. I haven't failed out yet."

"Balls," Gaius said, winking. "Huge balls."

Robin snorted in spite of himself, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. 

"You haven't had your caffeine yet today--" Gaius said. "I can tell--" he stood so suddenly that the chair nearly toppled forward. "I'll hook you up--just give me a sec." He pranced off toward the back.

"Gods, he's the same person," Robin murmured. "Short of calling me bubbles, anyway."

"What was that?"

Robin jumped.

Gaius plunked down a styrofoam cup in front of him, topped with a huge pile of whipped cream. Coffee sloshed over and onto the table.

Robin patted it with a napkin and took a sip, coming away with a mustache. "I appreciate the coffee--really--but was the cream necessary?"

"I think it tastes good like that," Gaius said with a wink. 

Robin couldn't argue this. He ignored his new facial hair and slurped the rest of it down as quickly as the scalding liquid would allow.

"What was this about calling you Bubbles?" Gaius asked.

"It's nothing," Robin said.

A strange look crossed Gaius's eyes, like he was considering something, but he stopped short and shook his head with a renewed grin. "Whatever you say. Anyway, I should get back to work before the bossman yells at me. I just got this job...I really can't mess it up this time--" He patted Robin's shoulder. "Come around again sometime soon, yeah? The pastries here are really good. It'd make a good treat while studying." He sauntered off.

"Glad to see he's living an honest life...at least?" Robin mused. He glanced at his phone again.

New Notification, an email of a new comment on his forum.

He scrolled through it.

_ "Hello! We go to the same school, I think! Maybe different program, though. I'm in the psychology program, but I have an interest in odd history so I listen to a lot of podcasts about various myths and legends. _

_ Anyway, I remember listening to a podcast episode that glossed over the topic in question. Don't remember the name of the episode so you'd have to dig through like 300 episodes, but it mentioned a lot of stuff about a book called Grima's Truth that they dug up some fifty years ago. Don't know if that helps any, but apparently there are some old papers scattered around, some with scans of some of the pages. It was a pretty fragile book to begin with, so they could only scan a few before they had to start refurbishing the book. Not sure where it's kept--some archeological institute. Anyway, don't know if any of that helps. _

_ If you're on campus, you can check out the stacks, since I doubt much of this made it into the digital catalogues. _

_ Good luck! Let me know if you find out anything good. It's such a cool topic!" _

Robin blinked. A wave of cold washed over him, but he staggered up from his chair.

"It's just the book," Robin told himself, as he walked outside. The heat of summer only made him feel clammier. "The weapon is nothing without its wielder." A number of questions bombarded him.

If the book existed--did magic still exist in this world? Was it just a lost art? Could Robin still harness it?

Robin shook his head with a grimace. Maybe it was better to leave some things buried in the past, though his fingers itched for the binding of one of his own tomes. 

The library was a mammoth castle of a building, spires and giant stone blocks giving it the impression of age though it was relatively new. It settled in around Robin like an old friend, a comforting quiet as he stepped indoors. He stepped first to the computer area and opened up the catalogue.

A few quick searches found what he needed. He printed out the slips of paper and approached the front desk.

The student there regarded him with a disinterested sigh and reached out her hand. Robin gave her the slip. She ran them through the scanner.

"I'm okay with going back into the stacks myself and finding it," Robin said. "I'm comfortable enough locating items."

The girl shook her head. "Apparently some nerds broke in and used it for some kind of dnd larp game, so it's a mess. We're not allowing students in for the time being."

Robin's brow furrowed.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not a big deal. I'll just send a quick pic of this to one of the guys in the cleanup crew. He can grab it for you." She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures and sent them along. Then she tugged a second page from the printer and scooted it toward him. "I just need you to sign this stating that you understand reference materials are not to be removed from the library. You'll need to leave your student ID with us until you return it."

Robin scribbled a signature on the line, pulled out his wallet, and slid the ID toward her. He drummed his fingers on the counter and stood off to the side, allowing the student to sort through the books left in the return bin.

"It may be a while," the student said, looking up at him. She jabbed a pen toward some of the tables near the double doors leading to the stacks. "If you wait there, the guy will bring them to you."

"Right," Robin said, ducking his head in apology. He made his way to the table and allowed his head to thunk down. He'd been out of the house for a total of an hour, and he already felt wiped. "Don't fall asleep," he told himself. He'd need to pull another couple of hours worth of research out of his ass before he could go home.

He heard laughter ring out from the stacks followed by a thud. 

Then a voice rang out. "Oh hey, look at this book I just had to pull. This shit is wild--"

A second answered. "Let me see--"

A third chimed in with a laugh.

The hair on Robin's nape rose. His body crackled with electric pulse.

"Hey, check out the abstract--Dude, is that where your name comes from, you think?"

The third finally spoke. "Maybe? I've never seen my name used in anything else like that."

That voice.

The whole of Robin's body seethed with energy. His heart leapt into his throat.

"Not a very common name--is it."

Robin scrambled to his feet.

"Maybe I'll read it next after this guy. I'm curious!"

"Yea--wait, there's two more, let's hurry up and pull those too--"

"Chrom..." Robin choked. He stared at the door like a deer caught in the headlights.

And he bolted.


	2. The Universe is Laughing at Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia and Tharja discuss their reincarnation into this new modern world. Robin agrees to meet Chrom at a cafe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working on this slowly and surely as time permits. Super busy with school and work, sadly, but I'll do what I can as best I can!! Thank you to everyone who commented on Chapter 1! I love to hear everyone's thoughts or ideas. I'm sorry the chapters are so short!!
> 
> I'm probably nooooot gonna introduce the WHOLE Awakening cast, but there will be a fair few in this fic. Of course it's very Chrobin-centric, however.

“So, how were classes today?” Frederick asked. He got home late, as usual, and discarded his briefcase by the couch, loosening his tie as he sank into his armchair. He pinched his nose and let his head fall back, brow furrowed.

“I didn’t go,” Robin said.

This was not a surprise.

“You’re paying a lot of money for those classes,” Frederick said. The disappointment in his voice was tangible. 

“Which seems silly, because I can keep up without attending lectures,” Robin said. He’d fidgetted for the last few hours, until the roll of paper towels on the counter was nothing more than feathery scraps all over the kitchen.

“Do you want to talk about why you’re on edge?” Frederick asked. 

Robin let the last of the paper shreds fall from his fingertips, and waded through the mess to grab the broom from between the fridge and the wall. He sighed as he batted at them. “What makes you think I’m on edge,” he said with a humorless laugh. “I just wanted a lecture about money not growing on trees.”

Frederick sighed, groaning as he climbed to his feet. He joined Robin in the kitchen, taking the broom from his hands and sweeping up the lot with much more efficiency. “How about this. Let’s order in tonight. I’m much too tired to cook, and I don’t think I want you handling a knife right now.”

Robin nodded. “That’s the opposite of the money-tree lecture, but I’m open to change.” He tapped a couple of pizza coupons he’d stuck to the fridge. “This place is good. I know the modern world and all that it has to offer is amazing and all, but please no pineapple this time.”

“Right,” Frederick said. “You draw a bath and get yourself cleaned up and I’ll make the call.”

“Online is faster.”

“I prefer doing it over the phone.”

Robin ducked into the hallway. “The internet isn’t going to steal your credit card number on a secure site. Especially not with our antivirus.”

“You place a lot of trust in that mumbo jumbo.” Frederick waved him off as he dumped the carnage into the trash. “Shower. Now. We’ll talk later, after dinner.”

* * *

Robin stared at the stream of water. He was greasy, but loathe to step in even as steam rose from the showerhead. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

“Okay, let’s list the facts,” he muttered to himself. “Someone named Chrom. Who sounds like Chrom who probably  _ is _ Chrom though I don’t 100% know that for sure….just happened to cross paths with me. And he has the document I wanted to read.” Robin sighed. “Ugh. And I left my student ID at the front desk. Which means he has a means of finding me...if he’s strategic, which he probably  _ isn’t _ , just facing the facts.”

Robin took a deep breath and shed his clothes, wincing as he eased himself into the shower. He closed his eyes and let the hot water pelt him.

He always dreaded taking a shower, but once he was in he did not want to leave.

“So, he was reincarnated too, then,” Robin murmured. He fumbled with the soap and halfheartedly scrubbed at his arms. “Is he like me and Frederick, or is he like Gaius.”

Something told him it was more the latter.

“Shit, what right do I have to storm into his life and turn everything on its head,” he wondered as he scrubbed shampoo into his scalp. The suds stung his eyes. He spat out the bitter taste. “That’s if he even believed a word I said…Is it better if he gets to live a life unhindered by everything that’s happened?”

The last of the soap swirled down the drain. Robin wrenched the water off and burrowed his face into a towel, then wriggled into the same clothes he’d been wearing that day. He perked up at the sound of the doorbell.

When he emerged, towel still around his shoulders, he found Frederick with his back to the door, the pizza boxes still stacked in his arms.

“Um, Frederick? Is everything alright?” Carefully, he slid the boxes from Frederick’s arms and set them down in safety on the coffee table.

Frederick winced and shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s like seeing a ghost.”

“What do you mean?”

“The delivery girl. That was Olivia. There’s no mistaking that face or that curly pink hair.”

Robin blinked.

“She didn’t seem to recognize me,” Frederick said. “I think I scared her a little.” He pinched his nose between his fingers. “I accidentally addressed her by name. It came out before I could stop it.”

“Oof,” Robin said, opening the pizza box. “I mean, they wear name tags, right? She probably assumed you noticed hers. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just another customer draining the life out of her.”

The tension left Frederick’s shoulder as he sighed. “Of course. Yes. You’re right. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.” He hesitated. “Is it really that bad?”

“You’ve never worked retail or food service, have you,” Robin said with a shrug. “It really is.” He dug out a slice of pizza and took a couple of bites. 

Frederick, still pensive, sat on the couch. “That’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“Olivia working a job like that. If she’s anything like the Olivia of old, she has a lot of potential to really make it as a dancer…”

“Timelines are wonky like that,” Robin said, once he’d chewed and swallowed. “Whatever opportunities come your way shape your path. Not everyone can reach their full potential, especially if they don’t know what it is. There’s no way I’d ever be a master tactician in  _ this _ life. I would have never even known about it if I didn’t have all my memories intact.” He scoffed. “Don’t you find it funny, though?”

Frederick finally scooted the pizza box toward him. “Hm?”

“That we all answer to the same names we did back then. We  _ look _ exactly the same. It’s uncanny.”

Frederick set his slice back into the box with a frown. “I didn’t even stop to realize that.”

“The universe is laughing at us.”

* * *

The cadillac lurched down the street with a low whine. Olivia waited until she was a few blocks away then pulled to one side. The hair on the nape of her neck raised as she stared down at her nametag.

It read  _ Henry _ .

He’d called her Olivia.

She frowned and checked her watch. Reasonably, she had about five minutes of wiggle room before needing to head back. She put her face in her hands, patting lightly at her cheeks and massaging her temples while moderating her breathing.

“Okay, Olivia,” she muttered. 

If she hadn’t forgotten her uniform and had to borrow Henry’s, she’d be none the wiser, she realized. Older men loved to slip in overt familiarity into their transaction. It was never enough to just  _ accept _ the pizza, write the tip, and close the door.

Oliva took a deep breath and pulled out her phone.

“Tharja?” she said, once the line crackled. “I need to swing by the parlor after work. We have a situation, I think.”

Tharja spoke in a quiet drawl, but it instantly soothed Olivia’s nerves. “Okay. I’ll wait a bit before closing up, then. What’s the problem?”

“I’ll explain more when I get there,” Olivia said. “I have--” she glanced at her watch again--”I have to get back to work in a few minutes. I’m--I was delivering a pizza. The recipient? Frederick. As in  _ Frederick _ .”

Tharja hummed. “We treat it like we treated the Gaius situation. We lay low. We don’t engage unless we just have to.”

Olivia shook her head frantically against her phone. “No, it’s not like that at all. He recognized me. I think he has his memories too.”

“Gods,,” Tharja said. “Okay. Come here as soon as you can. We’ll discuss it then.” She paused. “Drive safely. Be safe.”

* * *

At the end of her shift, Olivia draped the borrowed uniform over the back of a chair in the back room. Henry had told her to just leave it--and that he’d pick it up in the morning. She scrawled a quick note of thanks and stuck it to it, then yanked the scrunchy from her hair. Curls spilled out to her lower back, limp from sweat and grease of another long day. She shook it out, bent over, and massaged her scalp for a few minutes, then swung it up and twisted it into a messy bun. 

Her phone lit up.

A text from Tharja, letting her know it was okay to head over.

Olivia sighed and scooped up her bag.

It was a short drive to the little tattoo parlor Tharja worked at. The parlor had once been a decrepit house. Now, giant glass windows had been papered over behind gothic columns of a screened porch-turned-reception area. Tharja sat in darkness on a porch swing there, the last of a cigarette dwindling away at her fingertips. She stubbed it out on the brick behind her, let it fall, and stamped it with a heavy black boot.

Petite and gothic, any color that Tharja lacked in her clothing burst forth on intricate tattoos blossoming on her shoulders and collarbones. A few peaked through the rips on the thighs of her pants. A couple of piercings looped from her bottom lip. Black hair had been cropped short.

“Let’s go inside to talk,” Tharja said.

“You’re smoking again,” Olivia said.

Tharja shrugged. “Just when I’m stressed. And I’m a little stressed.” Her voice remained calm. “Come on. Then we can head home.”

The door squawked shut behind them. Tharja clicked the light on again and headed into one of several rooms branching off from the foyer. She sat on the same stool she’d been working all day, surrounded by framed photos of previous artwork and boxes of black nitrile gloves. Olivia joined her, sitting cross legged on one of the client chairs. She leaned back with a sigh.

“So, Frederick,” Tharja started. “He remembers, then?”

Olivia nodded, picking at her nails. “Yes. He seems to. I had to borrow Henry’s uniform because mine got all messed up from being caught in that storm last night and I didn’t have a chance to wash it or anything. He blurted out my name… At first I didn’t think anything of it, but….I realized I also had Henry’s nametag on. And we haven’t crossed paths before now, so…”

“Hm,” Tharja said. She reached behind her for a mug of stale coffee and took a sip. “Does he know that you know. Did he try to have any kind of conversation with you?”

Olivia shook her head. “I think he was just as surprised as I was. Sort of like a deer caught in the headlights.” She chewed her lip. “I didn’t let on that I knew who he was, though.”

“Good,” Tharja said.

“ _ Why _ is that good?” Olivia asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to band together? I can understand not wanting to interfere with Gaius or Henry or Ricken, but if Frederick already  _ knows _ then he already knows….”

“I just have a bad feeling,” Tharja said with a frown. “A premonition of awful things to come if we start letting the past seep into the present any more than we have. We’re teetering on a very fine line, right now. We could easily trigger something if we aren’t extremely careful.” She sighed. “It was bad enough I accidentally put you through the burden of remembering.”

“I’m happy that I remember now,” Olivia said.

“Yes, but look how it’s distanced you from living your own second chance,” Tharja said, raising both of her brows. 

Olivia shrugged. “I don’t mind…”

“That may be, but my ultimate point is,” Tharja said, “we won’t be able to stop what we set in motion. Not as normal, mundane humans. It’s best if it all just remains in the past.”

“You don’t really think that  _ Grima _ is going to come back, do you?” Olivia said. “Wouldn’t he be in the same boat as us anyway?”

Tharja shrugged. “They found  _ Grima’s Truth _ . I knew a guy and I got to see it with my own two eyes a few months ago. The energy coming off that thing was overwhelming. And if it gets back into his hands then who knows what could happen.”

“Yes, but, Robin killed him and sealed him away for eternity. He probably didn’t get a second chance.”

“In your memory, but not mine,” Tharja said. “In mine, Chrom killed Grima. Maybe we’re at that 1000 year mark.” She shook a deep breath. “Speaking of. Have we located Chrom or Robin yet? You’ve been making your rounds in this pizza delivery gig for quite some time.”

Olivia shook her head. “Not yet. Frederick is the only new discovery in a while. But if either of them are in this town, it’s a matter of time before I see them  _ somewhere _ , though. It’s a big town but it’s not that big.”

“Good,” Tharja said. “Stay the course.” She did not smile, but her eyes softened. “We’ll find them. Don’t worry. Then the real work begins.”

“Why do you need to find them specifically?” Olivia asked.

“It’s complicated.” Tharja stood, setting aside her coffee mug. “For now, don’t worry about it. Let’s just go home and get some sleep…We’ll figure out what to do about Frederick in the morning.”

* * *

Robin had only eaten one slice of pizza before his stomach churned in protest. He spent the remainder of the evening cradling the plate on his lap while Frederick sat and wrote up reports for work. The clack of the keys settled in with a comfortable quiet. 

Somewhere in the haze of a warm blanket and late evening, Robin dozed off--only to jerk awake when his phone vibrated in his lap. Robin set the plate aside and checked it.

An email to his university address.

_ “Sorry to bug you, but you left your ID in the library. I know you would have figured it out and came for it, but I have some stuff I need to ask you about, so you’ll have to meet me for it _ . 

_ Ps. Sorry about being a total creep and looking you up in the school database like this. _

_ Chrom” _

“Curveball,” Robin muttered at his phone. So he  _ had _ taken initiative. Robin took a breath and glanced at the back of Frederick’s head.

He was still typing away, pausing occasionally to sip from a giant mug of coffee he’d microwaved for the third time that day.

Robin sighed and typed.

_ “Are you holding my ID hostage? _ ”

Within a few minutes, he had his response.

_ “If that’s what you want to call it, then sure. I promise I won’t take up too much of your time. What do you say about tomorrow, same time same place? You’ll recognize me by my blue hair, and I have a photo of you so I’ll recognize you. Agreed?” _

Robin glanced back up at Frederick. Still working.

_ “Meet me for coffee, if that’s what you want. Bring the reference material. If you want to talk then show me you’re willing to smuggle it out.” _

_ “Fair enough. :) See you then.” _

Robin set his phone screen down on the coffee table like he’d been burned. 

Frederick glanced back. “Robin, is everything alright?”

“Yes--sorry,” Robin said. “I actually am just going to head on to bed. I have a lot to do tomorrow.” He shoved his phone in his pocket and all but jogged into the kitchen to deposit his plate in the sink. 

“Rest well, Robin,” Frederick said. He continued his work.

Robin let out the breath he’d been holding in once he’d tucked his door shut behind him. 

“It’s okay just to talk with him. There’s nothing saying I can’t do that,” Robin muttered as he stared down at his hands. “He’s the one who initiated, after all…” 

Apprehension twisted in his chest. He paced until exhaustion dragged him toward bed.

“It’s just one time,” he reassured himself as his face hit his pillow.


End file.
